Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Under Route (2)
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A Dragon Relic.
As expected of an ancient relic from the strongest of the variant racesthe one a superpower like the United States claimed as its ancestorit came with a premium.
They weren't numerous to begin with, and since the U.S. had poured immense capital into buying up most of them, you couldn't get one just because you wanted to.
And that wasn't all.
The Collector.
That eccentric collector was also particularly zealous about acquiring Dragon Relics.
Thanks to him, whether through official channels or the Under Route, the supply of Dragon Relics was practically zero.
And now, such a relic was right before my eyes.
How much is it?
It was only natural for my eyes to glisten with greed.
Its pricey. What kind of price were you expecting?
For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
I felt like I was dealing with some kind of sales shark.
Is this guy for real?
Just kidding, just kidding. Don't look at me like that. Hahaha.
The owner let out a hearty laugh.
The price is exactly two billion. No more, no less.
?
Two billion?
A Dragon Relic for only that much?
Is it a fake?
Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Its not a scam, so don't give me that look, young masters. You think I'm crazy enough to pull a fast one in front of Mr. Jang?
The owner held up both hands in a placating gesture.
Let me explain.
He then sat down, began to open the carrier, and continued.
On the Under Route, ancient relics typically go for between one and two billion. You know that, right?
Was it for theft prevention?
The carrier had several security mechanisms. It looked like it would take an age just to open it.
But Dragon Relics are a special case. Thanks to the U.S. and the esteemed Collector getting into a bidding war.
From what I knew, Dragon Relics started at ten billion, minimum.
The way the truly rich throw their money around
So why is this one only two billion?
The owner placed his finger on the final release button and smiled meaningfully.
I wonder.
The reason is simple. It looks like crap.
The carrier opened with a mechanical whir.
A rock?
Inside lay a single stone. It looked like something you could find in any random stream bed.
This is a Dragon Relic?
Choi Jihoon gave the man a pointed look.
That's right. If you don't believe me, see for yourself. The information is set to public.
Choi Jihoon and Secretary Jang examined the stone with sharp eyes.
Of course, I only pretended to look.
Status what? Never heard of it.
It definitely has a Dragonkin restriction.
Yes. It's authentic.
I could have doubted Choi Jihoon, but seeing even Secretary Jang nod, it had to be genuine.
But besides the usage restriction, I don't see anything else. Why is that?
The owner shrugged.
It's not that you can't see them. It just doesn't have any effects.
None?
Right. That's why its only two billion.
The owner sighed.
It looks like that, and it has no effects. So it seems neither the U.S. government nor the esteemed Collector has any interest in buying it.
The reasoning made sense.
The U.S. would have rejected it for being beneath the nation's dignity.
And the Collector would have refused it for its complete lack of aesthetic sense.
Well, that's why I said for now earlier. Theres no way anyone would buy a piece of trash like this that has no value even as an antique
Ill buy it.
This is a must-buy.
You'll buy it?
Yes.
This piece of trash?
Yes.
Trash, he says.
To me, this item is a treasure.
Its appearance and performance don't matter to me.
What's important is that the usage restriction says Dragonkin.
Nothing else is necessary.
I turned to look at the stunned Choi Jihoon.
You said you'd cover anything up to two billion, right?
You, don't tell me?
I grinned.
Yep. Buy that for me.
Are you serious?
Choi Jihoon's eyes twitched.
* * *
I can't believe I just spent two billion on that stupid rock.
Choi Jihoon muttered, dejected, inside the limousine heading back to the dorms.
Kang Seoyul. With this, we're even.
Of course, of course.
I was hugging the carrier containing the Fang Etched in Mana tightly to my chest. To think I'd actually get a Dragonkin relic. I couldn't be happier.
Imagining what trait I would get, my expression naturally softened.
I don't get it.
Choi Jihoon sighed as if the world was ending.
Vrrr
Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated.
[Yuhwa]
Yuhwa? What's this about at this hour?
I set down the carrier and unlocked my phone.
[I've scheduled the appointment with the Collector.]
Good things come in pairs, as they say.
It seems Yuhwa pulled it off.
[You worked hard.]
[I did work hard]
The ellipses seemed to carry a lot of meaning.
[It's for tomorrow at 7:30 PM. Is that okay?]
[Yes. Where should I go?]
[Uh, the location isn't set yet.]
Not set?
[I'll send you the address and location once it's decided. The old man hasn't given me a final answer yet.]
I could picture Yuhwa sighing.
She must be having a really tough time.
Well, it's not surprising.
Dealing with that eccentric must be a handful.
[Then let me know when it's decided.]
[Got it. See you tomorrow.]
With that, the chat ended.
* * *
I didn't get back to the dorm until after midnight.
Ugh.
Maybe it's because I missed my afternoon workout. My blood is boiling.
I'll have to go hard tomorrow morning.
I changed into my pajamas and walked over to the carrier I'd placed next to my bed.
I laid the carrier flat and disengaged the security locks in the sequence the owner had shown me.
Easier than I thought.
It had looked so complicated, but since all I had to do was press the buttons in the right order, it was surprisingly easy.
Chiiik
Soon, with a mechanical sound, the carrier opened completely.
Ooh.
The two-billion-won rock inside was revealed.
It looked like a perfectly ordinary stone, but to my eyes, it was more beautiful than any gold or jewels.
I knelt before it and clasped my hands together.
I'm not even asking for Master of Mana. Please, just give me something good.
Dragons are the creators of mana.
Naturally, they possess numerous traits related to it.
My physical abilities are slowly improving thanks to the Beastkin traits, but my magic power has hit a plateau. Its growth has completely stalled.
Thanks to that, both the Flame of Imprint and the Flame of the Spirit are like pearls before swine.
God, spirits of heaven and earth! Creator no, not you! Anyway!
I was about to say Creator but quickly changed my words.
The creator of this world is Kim Shin.
Why would I pray to that *hyeong*?
It'd probably just bring me bad luck.
Anyway, please give me a mana trait!
I grasped the stone with both hands.
It was then.
Crack
Huh?
Craaack
The stone began to split.
I was told that no matter what you did, you couldn't even scratch this thing.
The cracks grew larger and larger.
I wondered if something was wrong and considered letting go,
but then I suddenly remembered when I obtained the World Tree's blessing.
Back then, the World Tree's blessing, which had been dormant within it, had reacted to a heretic like me and revealed itself.
What if this phenomenon was similar to that?
Could the Fang Etched in Mana be reclaiming its original form right now?
It was a reasonable suspicion.
C-craaaack
All the while, the cracks continued to widen, eventually connecting from end to end.
Chiiing!
Ugh!
The stone then completely shattered, scattering into dust.
Thankfully, it turned entirely to dust, so I didn't have to worry about shards embedding themselves in my skin.
But the dust got in my eyes, and it stung.
Ugh.
I blinked the foreign particles out along with tears and opened my eyes again.
Whoa.
The stone I had been holding had transformed into an orb.
A dazzling, golden orb, befitting the symbol of the opulent dragon race.
Wow. This is insane.
Even to someone like me, who had next to no aesthetic sense, its beauty was breathtaking.
Graceful patterns were engraved on its round, golden surface, creating a harmonious design, and it was studded with multicolored gems.
I don't think I've ever seen a Dragon Relic more beautiful than this, not even among the ones the U.S. has revealed.
This is incredible.
But what exactly is this?
An orb-shaped relic.
Without a status window, there's no way to know.
It's not in my memories either.
That means it's an ancient relic that never appeared in the novel.
But how could something with such a powerful effect not have been in the novel?
Something this broken?
Just by the amount of mana swirling around me, I could tell what a game-breaking item this was.
It has to be at least an [Ancient Relic/A+ Rank].
Ah, man.
Humans are fickle creatures.
It feels like a waste somehow.
A relic this powerful would be a huge help later on.
And I'm about to blow it on just acquiring a trait.
Just as I was sighing about it,
Tssssst!
The one minute was up.
[Error!]
The moment the error message appeared, my hands let go.
Next would be the pain somewhere on my body, followed by a new tattoo.
Where is it this time?
Zing!
Sure enough, I felt a sharp pain on my back.
Thankfully, it wasn't in a place easily visible to others.
I put the Fang Etched in Mana back in the carrier and headed to the washroom. Turning my back to the mirror, I craned my neck.
Wow.
A green dragon was tattooed on my back.
But why is this tattoo so big?
It seems to be more than twice the size of my other tattoos.
Is this the so-called class of a dragon?
Anyone who saw this would probably call me boss.
A dragon tattoo on my back.
Still, it's a relief.
It's not on the back of my hand where everyone can see it, like the Flame Spirit.
I put my shirt back on and returned to my bed.
I'd figured out the tattoo's location, so next was to identify the trait.
Come on, be something good Please!
I went over the Dragonkin traits one by one.
* * *
The next morning.
I was slumped over my desk with hollow eyes.
Last night.
I'd failed to identify the trait.
I hadn't slept a wink, trying every trick in the book, but the tattoo didn't react at all.
It's times like these I really miss having a status window.
It would just pop up with a [Trait List], wouldn't it?
Sigh.
One thing was certain: it wasn't Master of Mana.
If I'd gotten Master of Mana, the ambient mana in the air should have reacted to me when I circulated my magic power yesterday.
For the same reason, I could also rule out extraordinary traits like Dragon Tongue.
All the other traits I knew of were also ruled out.
Thinking about it rationally, there was a high probability I'd drawn a dud.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed.
But I had considered this might happen.
If anything, I'd just been lucky up until now.
Besides, this Dragonkin ancient relic was basically unearned income.
I hadn't lost anything.
And who knows, a useful trait I wasn't aware of, like Boiling Blood of the Pureblood or Predator's Killing Intent, might just pop up later.
It's too early to be disappointed until I figure out exactly what the trait is.
And above all.
The value of the Fang Etched in Mana doesn't end here.
Heh heh.
The corners of my mouth curved into a smile.
* * *
That afternoon, at 7:30 PM.
So it's Okhwadang in the end?
The meeting place was Okhwadang.
I greeted the now-familiar employee and was guided to the room where Yuhwa was waiting.
Knock, knock
A soft knock on the door.
Come in.
Inside the room, a British gentleman who looked to be at least in his seventies was sitting with Yuhwa.
Suddenly, the British gentleman's expression soured.
Tsk. The person with something important to discuss was just a mere pipsqueak?
Wow.
That cantankerous personality.
It's definitely the Collector, Ail Chris.
Sir Ail saying something like that
What? He is a pipsqueak. A handsome pipsqueak, at that. He'd do well as a host.
So rude to someone he's just met.
Well, I already knew the Collector had a difficult personality, so I didn't pay it much mind.
More importantly, his Korean is very fluent.
I thought he was Korean.
But on our first meeting
Tsk.
Yuhwa was on pins and needles.
The atmosphere of a meeting she'd arranged was a complete mess, so it was understandable.
She's going through all this trouble for nothing.
Hmph. Fine. For Miss Yuhwa's sake, I'll at least hear you out.
He didn't look like he intended to listen at all. He'd clearly let it go in one ear and out the other.
I'm a busy man. I'll give you five minutes, so get straight to the point.
Wow.
He's really laying into someone who's still standing by the door.
Even my calm self was starting to get a little annoyed.
Are you sure about that?
My voice was low.
About what?
Acting so dismissively when you have no idea what I'm about to offer. I don't understand.
I walked calmly to Yuhwa's side and sat down opposite the Collector.
Hmph. An offer from an unknown pipsqueak like you isn't worth hearing in the first place.
The Collector scoffed.
I knew this guy's personality was difficult, but has it evolved to a new level today?
Did something bad happen to him?
Just then, Yuhwa leaned in and whispered in my ear.
Um, his negotiations with the Korean government didn't go well this afternoon. He's been a bit since then.
Aha.
So that's why he's extra cranky today. All the better for me.
You have three minutes left.
It hasn't even been a minute, but apparently two have already passed.
He's like a whining child. How cute.
Sir
It's fine.
I stopped Yuhwa from intervening.
I don't need three minutes. Ten seconds is more than enough.
With a casual gesture, I placed the carrier on the table.
An equipment carrier?
Then, with familiar movements, I disengaged the security lock.
Chiiik
The carrier opened with a familiar mechanical sound.
Haaah!
At the same time, a loud gasp escaped the Collector's lips.
Th-this is. This is!
His pupils were even trembling.
H-how. How did you!
Looking at the speechless Collector, I gave a relaxed smile.
What do you think?
Inside the carrier was, of course, the Fang Etched in Mana.
This was the Collector, a man who would go crazy for any Dragon Relic.
What would happen when he saw a relic of such stunning beauty?
Do you still think my offer will be worthless?
Kngh.
In that moment, the tables had turned.